The movie ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’, directed by late Yash Chopra, has smartly associated with relevant brands to add value and amplify the marketing dollar.

The movie has association with brands such as Discovery, Intel, Western Union, Wildcraft, Gibson, Royal Enfield and Pond’s. “We don’t do too many associations because it dilutes the impact for the partner as well as the film. Hence, we have only called the right brands,” said Ashish Patil, Vice President, Yash Raj Films.

With infotainment channel Discovery, Yash Raj Films has undertaken an interesting collaboration. The film has one of its lead female characters, Akira, played by Anushka Sharma, portrayed as an employee of Discovery who wants to make a documentary on the male lead of the film – Shah Rukh Khan.

Rahul Johri, Senior Vice President and General Manager – South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific said, “Being an inherent part of a mainstream film reiterates Discovery Channel’s leadership and credibility in India. It is a marriage of fiction with reality.”

“This association reflects the immense popularity and credibility that Discovery Channel enjoys in India and around the world where this film will be released,” Johri added. He also said that this is not a typical in-film placement; it’s a central part of the film, intertwined with the plot. “I can promise you that such an association has never been done before. It’s a new benchmark in innovative marketing,” he explained.

Patil said, “Discovery is a worldwide association and the channel has an international relevance. The character is someone who is making a documentary on Shah Rukh Khan. For documentary, you don’t want to associate with a territory that does news or music, the character is such that you needed to go to a brand that is relevant for that and Discovery adds that credibility and relevance.”

According to Patil, monetisation of assets/content is also a fairly important revenue stream besides box-office and satellite. “By giving someone an opportunity to associate with the film outside, we charge a premium and generate revenue out of that association,” Patil explained.

Drawing the parallel of sending love home this festive season, the movie has also tied-up with Western Union, which is a global association that goes out to more than 100 countries. “They are spending heavily across USA, UK, Canada and UAE. It adds addition media weight to the market that is important to us and to them,” said Patil. Western Union is not just giving out tickets to the movie but also giving flight tickets to a few to come and watch the movie with the loved ones.

The technology partner is Intel and it powers the ultra books and smartphones used in the film. Patil explained, “Anushka is shown as very sporty. So the kind of laptops she carries are ultra portable. Hence, Intel has used the product that is not even launched in the country and is planning to launch it with the film.” Intel will be giving out a guitar from the film to a few winners.

Shah Rukh’s character is attached to a special unit of armed forces and there is a lot of adventure gear in the film. “We have brought in a very specific adventure gear partner, Wildcraft, which is the authorised supplier for the army,” added Patil.

“We had to show a mountain bike in the movie and Royal Enfield gave us Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 cc. The other very iconic image is that of a signature guitar of Gibson, which is beautifully crafted and specially picked for the character. It is a very relevant and strong placement,” said Patil.

Celebrating beauty and romance, Pond’s has also associated with the movie. The film has also tied-up with Puma for Anushka’s wardrobe.

It seems that ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ has tied up with relevant brands to enhance visibility and appeal. However, a lot depends on how seamlessly and effortlessly the associations are entwined with the storyline. We also need to wait and watch how effective these tie-ups prove to be for the movie as well as the brands.

11 Comments

Discovery, Intel, Western Union, Wildcraft, Gibson, Royal Enfield and Pond’s seriously……Its good if they have but i have not seen a single ad from these Brands associating them with JTHJ.
It may start from this week but nothing on tv for now…